Increasingly, I am aware of the attitude of “Barack will fix this” in our society and around the world.

What three things could you and I do as individuals, today, that would allow us to understand more clearly the state of global economics, improve economic conditions or make the world a better place?

Here is An Inside Perspective, Ideas From Our Readers!

Rather than to ask the question with a could…I think it would be better to assume

the best – that there are a lot of individuals who are doing things – every day to make the world a better place. They often do this below the radar screen – get no PR for it – don’t want it – they just do it. These people are the backbone of our communities – the doers – the people who don’t look to Washington or Augusta to solve our challenges – but to themselves. It is what one person is all about – each person making a difference.

I agree with your point – but take issue with asking the question. I come from a place of affirmation. To be sure, we can’t fix the global mess – but we can make a qualitative difference in the communities where we live — and many people – I would wager most of the people you have touched with your course and who get your email – are doing just that – making a difference.

Dick Malley, Pawlet, Vermont

It seems that in this economic crisis people are simplifying and uncluttering their lives and refocusing on the more important things in life. Plus, a lot of the things that the Greens are posting on our bulletin boards, electronic and otherwise, about being green are the very things I was raised with as a child by parents who lived through the depression. Conserve energy, have a vegetable garden, use plates and flatware you can reuse by washing, exchange clothes with others rather than throwing it away, mend clothes, use the pencil down to the nub, etc.

When all the ephemera are taken away, human beings are less blinded and distracted by the glitter and pomp of the world. People then tend to focus on the truly important things – the importance of human beings and their wellness tends to rise to the top as Bill points out. My geometry teacher in the seminary used to draw these wonderful designs on the black board to illustrate the geometric theorems visually. They were quite good for being free hand. Since he was a priest and well versed in Latin (as we seminarians were supposed to be too) he would quote Latin phrases to us. The one that stuck with me was the phrase Sic Transit Gloria Mundi which he repeated every time he erased his drawings. That phrase means “So goes the glory of the World”. It was his constant reminder to us teenage seminarians to not lose sight of what was truly important in this world and not to spend our time on the gloria mundi.

This is not intended to be a shaggy dog story but maybe it is turning into one. My point is that I feel that economic and societal forces are converging to erase some of the importance of the gloria mundi of the world and focus on the well-being of people instead.

Quin Frazer, Chicago, Illinois

Just read the moment of mindfulness thought about the prevailing attitude that “Barack will fix this’. It is my hope that Barack will energize us and bring us together to work towards improving the conditions of all people.

Here is a list of three things that anyone could do in one day to make the world a better place.

1.Read about and understand global economics – a topic that is complex and poorly understood. The Economist is a great resource and is available online. Public Health journals are also a great resource for understanding the impacts of economic policy on global health issues.

2.Volunteer to tutor Adult Basic Education and/or English as a Second Language in my community or donate money to support the organization.

3.Carefully use the resources of food and fuel in my personal life.

Here is a list of today’s activities:

Read an article about burning food for fuel leads to world hunger, specifically the use of acres of farmland to grow corn for conversion to ethanol.

Prepare a lesson plan for an ESL student who is unable to communicate with her son’s school administrators and teachers because she does not speak English.

Do not waste one morsel of food.

Great Idea! Hope this was useful.

Thanks,

Patricia LaFollette, Carol Stream, Illinois

1.treat every single individual we come in contact with every single day with loving kindness

2.stay in the now, and give way to someone, in traffic, in line at grocery, etc with a loving kind heart every single day

3.send loving kind thoughts to the universe for everyone, everything, everywhere every single day of the year

Blessings

Fran Stauff, Bangor, Maine

LAST WORD WILL BE YOURS!

By: Bill Cumming

For the past two years, I have been reading and listening, over and over, to the words of Father Tony de Mello in his tape series, “Wake Up to Life” and the book, “Awareness,” based on that tape series, a recording of the only conference he ever allowed to be recorded.

The most important thing I believe we could do to be of use in the world is learn to love each other better.

Anthony de Mello, S.J., an Indian, Jesuit priest who died in 1987 when he was fifty-six. If he were still alive, I would have found a way to spend time with him. His writings are, in my opinion, among the most important writings of all time. It is conceivable that had he lived, he might now be the “leader” the world of spiritual beings so desperately desires.

He recognized that power of God resides within all beings. That notion, in and of itself, is still considered by some to be heresy. Father de Mello was a very controversial member of the Catholic Church whose books were at one time banned by those who control the writings within the church.

“Some say that there are only two things in the world: God and fear; love and fear; love and fear are the only two things. There is only one evil in the world, fear. There’s only one good in the world, love. It’s sometimes called by other names. It’s sometimes call happiness or freedom or peace or joy or God or whatever. But the label doesn’t matter. And there’s not a single evil in the world that you cannot trace to fear. Not one.”

All damage is created by people who do not feel well about themselves. If I know I have value, all I want is the best for you. If I believe my value comes from things, I might be afraid you might steal those things and then I would loose my identity. At that point I become capable of violence in order to protect “my identity.”

“And if what you seek is truth, then you must do this. You can lean on no one.”

Thinking about God will not give you an experience of God. If you look closely at the eyes and heart of a child, really look, God is unmistakable. The child explores, sees, experiences, is capable of feelings, caring, loving. All of the religious dogma will tell you much less than watching the eyes of a child. Father de Mello’s greatest sadness came from the wars fought in the world over the presumed “rightness” of one religious school of thought over another. To declare that it is my right to condemn your child to hell because they have been raised to think “incorrectly” leads to warfare in countries like the Sudan, Ireland and Iraq. As you imagine the eyes of your child, godchild, grandchild, imagine the justification for their dismemberment. It is my experience that you will not be able to do so. Only in the experience of your heart is there real truth. The thoughts of another person, no matter how well constructed, will not be able to justify the action.

“All of the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.”

For an experience of God, go to the ocean. Look, really look, at every aspect of a single flower. Watch carefully the actions and abilities of the fly, as Father de Mello suggests. The essence of God is not attainable in words but in experience.

“The beauty of an action comes not from its having become a habit,

but from its sensitivity, consciousness, clarity of perception, and accuracy of response.”

Imagine for a moment that every interaction between you and every other person was recognized by you as an opportunity for you to see that person newly, as if you did not know them. In truth, you do not, since thousands of cells are replaced on an hourly basis. Imagine saying, “Good Morning,” as if you really meant it. Can you imagine how you might feel if each time a dear person touched you, it was as if the first time with all the excitement and exhilaration of discovery? I bet you can. The only thing that keeps us protected from this incredible feeling is the misinformation provided by our minds.

“Nobody does wrong in awareness.”

If you are present to the incredible, magical gift of life, would you want to do damage to others? Samantha Smith, a little girl from Maine, suggested that it might be a good idea for the leaders of countries to have their grandchildren stay in the homes of their most feared global enemy. Who then would throw the first switch?

I wonder what you might be able to imagine!

You are loved absolutely and unconditionally!

Namaste!

Bill